Originally Presented On Monday, Aug. 10, 2020

This August, the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved is joining the nonprofit VotER, 50 partner organizations, and 11,000 health care providers in launching the first national, nonpartisan Civic Health Month to celebrate and bring attention to healthcare institutions and providers helping their patients get ready to vote. As part of that initiative, we are highlighting a new service from VotER to empower patients to vote safely in upcoming elections: the Healthy Democracy Kit.

To help create a better healthcare system by empowering those most hurt by the system to vote, VotER has created this new kit featuring badgebackers and lanyards that allows patients to easily use their own phone to register to vote or request a mail-in ballot to vote from home. This kit walks patients through either process in 90 seconds or less while providers go on to see their next clients. As providers, it is critical that we advocate for our patients—and in an election held during a pandemic, that means making it safe and healthy for them to register and cast their vote. This webinar will familiarize providers with their kits or introduce them to the platform for the first time so they can better assist their patients.

Note: In order to make the most of this presentation, we encourage providers to order their free Health Democracy Kit in advance. Sign up for an individual kit or sign up for institutional kits. An introductory video is also available.

This session was the sixth session in ACU’s Policy & Practice Series.

Presenter:

  • Alister Francois Martin, M.D., Executive Director of VotER and Faculty at Center for Social Justice and Health Equity Massachusetts General Hospital

 

Further Resources to Empower Patients

Find more patient civic engagement and voter registration resources on our website and at VotER, one of the ACU’s key civic engagement partners. Other organizations such as the League of Women Voters and Vote 411 can further assist your efforts. Have questions or need assistance? Please contact Amanda Pears Kelly.

With these resources, you can get started by asking your patients and community if they are registered to vote and have a plan to vote safely. And remember: sometimes simply “asking the question” of whether they are or would like to register to vote—and if they plan to do so—can provide an entry point to their civic engagement. You can also go further by joining us as an advocate for health equity!

Remember: all civic engagement activities done at/by a 501c3 non-profit, as well as by its staff and representatives, must be entirely non-partisan and cannot advise patients on or endorse electoral candidates.